Rockstar Diaries TV Show S1 EP 17 Jennifer Finch

Forget a "get out of jail free" card; Jennifer Precious Finch's was a "get out of Van Halen free card"—and she took it straight to the top of the punk rock world. Born in the shadow of Los Angeles, this quintessential punk prodigy ditched institutional learning for the raw power of The Ramones and The Clash. At 13, she traded a normal life for the adventure of being a chronic runaway, diving headfirst into the scene she was simultaneously documenting with her camera, shooting early icons like The Dead Kennedys. After a formative stint in San Francisco's underground, forming the powerful, short-lived Death Rock trio Sugar Baby Doll with future heavyweights Courtney Love and Kat Bjelland, Finch moved back to LA and took a fateful tip to join a new band: L7. As the electrifying bass player for the legendary grunge-punk powerhouse, Finch helped define the sound and fury of a generation. She was instrumental in getting L7 signed to Sub Pop and toured the world with titans like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and The Beastie Boys. She also helped co-found Rock 4 Choice, a seminal fundraiser that united the punk and feminist communities. After leaving L7, she honored her late father by adopting his nickname for her as her middle name—Precious—and blazed trails with her new projects, Other Star People and The Shocker, which made history as the first Western women to complete a DIY tour of a Muslim country in Turkey. From teenage runaway and punk photographer to a defining force in one of the most important bands of the '90s, Jennifer Precious Finch is a rock 'n' roll legend whose story is as loud and uncompromising as her music.